The impact of acne vulgaris on quality of life and psychic health in young adolescents in Greece: results of a population survey O impacto da acne vulgar na qualidade de vida e saúde psíquica em jovens adolescentes na Grécia: resultados de uma pesquisa populacional

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris can severely affect social and psychological functioning. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of acne vulgaris and its severity on Quality of Life of young adolescents in Greece. METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire based survey among 1560 adolescent between the ages of 11 and 19 years old and 1531 of these were completed. Adolescents with acne filled all the questions including the Children Dermatology Life Quality Index. Adolescents without acne filled the questions about age, family history of acne, stress and smoking. Data were analyzed with Pearson Chi Square test. RESULTS: Acne prevalence was 51.2% affecting both sexes equally. Self reported mild acne was present in 71.2% and moderate-severe acne in 28.8% of the study population. The mean age of the study population was 15.77y. The median score of Children Dermatology Life Quality Index was 4.02. The impact of acne on quality of life is associated with the severity of the acne (pFUNDAMENTOS: Acne vulgar pode afetar seriamente o funcionamento social e psicológico. OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar o impacto da acne vulgar e sua gravidade na Qualidade de Vida de jovens adolescentes na Grécia. MÉTODOS: Nós conduzimos uma pesquisa baseada em questionário entre 1560 adolescentes com idades entre 11 e 19 anos e 1531 destes foram completados. Adolescentes com acne completaram todas as questões incluindo o Children Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI). Adolescentes sem acne completaram as questões sobre idade, história familiar de acne, estresse e tabagismo. Os dados foram analisados pelo teste de chi-quadrado de Pearson. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de acne foi de 51.2%, afetando igualmente ambos os sexos. O auto relato de acne leve estava presente em 71.2% e de acne moderada a grave em 28.8% da população. A idade média da população em estudo foi de 15.77 anos. O escore médio do Children Dermatology Life Quality Index foi de 4.02. O impacto da acne na Qualidade de Vida está associado à gravidade da acne (p<0.0001). Pacientes com acne moderada/grave experimentam maior piora psico-social e emocional (p<0.0001). A imagem corporal é modificada proporcionalmente à gravidade da acne (p<0.0001). Sintomas e tratamento da acne são fatores que também influenciam sua qualidade de vida. Meninas e meninos são afetados igualmente. Estresse e hereditariedade estão correlacionados à acne e sua gravidade (p<0.0001). Nós não encontramos nenhuma correlação entre tabagismo e acne. CONCLUSÃO: Acne afeta a qualidade de vida de jovens adolescentes na Grécia. O impacto é proporcional à gravidade da acne. A acne mais grave está associada a um maior efeito na qualidade de vida com implicações na auto-estima, imagem corporal e relacionamento com outros

Seasonal pattern of the diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma: a hospital-based study in a Mediterranean country

Background Several investigators have described a seasonal variation in the diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma. Limited data exist on the seasonality of melanoma diagnosis in Southern European countries. Patients and methods The seasonal pattern of diagnosis was analyzed in 404 Greek patients diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma (CM) between 1996 and 2004. A summer-to-winter ratio was determined overall and in relation to gender, age, anatomic site, histopathologic type, and tumor thickness. Results The summer-to-winter ratio was 1.53 for all patients ( 95% Cl [confidence interval]: 1.15-2.02) with a ratio of 1.83 for women (95% Cl: 1.20-2.78) and 1.28 for men ( 95% Cl: 0.87-1.88). A seasonal pattern of melanoma diagnosis was observed for patients younger than 50 years of age (1.70, 95% Cl: 1.05-2.74) and between 50 and 69 years ( 1.64, 95% Cl: 1.05-2.56), for melanoma located on the upper or lower extremities (2.50, 95% Cl: 1.12-5.56 and 2.23, 95% Cl: 1.19-4.18, respectively), for superficial spreading and nodular melanomas (1.73, 95% Cl: 1.12-2.69 and 1.52 95% Cl: 0.96-2.41) and for melanomas with a tumor thickness of 1-2 mm (1.69, 95% Cl: 0.91-3.12) and &gt; 4 mm (2.13, 95% Cl: 1.04-4.35). Conclusions No major differences were seen in the seasonal distribution of CM diagnosis in a Mediterranean population compared to previously reported results. A better ascertainment of the skin during the summer and an increased awareness due to the melanoma screening campaigns are the more likely reasons for the seasonality of melanoma diagnosis in Greece